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As the first day of full immersion, the campus was slightly quieter than it was in the past couple days—students had to make the transition from talking with their newly-made friends in English to Chinese. It’ll take some time for students to fully acclimate to this new way of life.

The purpose of education, as defined by J. Krishnamurti—a renowned author and speaker on humanitarian matters—is to, “Think freely, without fear, without a formula, so that you begin to discover for yourself what is real and what is true.”

The first week of full immersion may seem difficult and daunting at first, especially for those just beginning to learn a new language. However, students adapt quickly to the new and challenging environment at the Language Academy.

A campus that was once quiet is now one that is buzzing with chatter and filled with a desire to learn. As the first day of the Chinese Academy and French Academy came and went, students were busy from sun-up to sun-down.

Students from the Chinese Academy hopped right into classes. After yesterday’s placement exams, the students were grouped into specific classes based on their current skills in the language.

The world is no longer quiet here at St. Michael’s College—instead, it’s filled with conversation, laughter and dedicated students. Today marks the first full day for the students at the French Academy.

There was no room for a pause from yesterday’s business, for the classes began today immediately following breakfast. Divided by the students’ language skills, French Academy students poured into each classroom ready to take on all that the teachers have in store for them.

Believe it or not, we are now here working at full speed. Our participants arrived on Sunday after a long flight to Madrid. The Program Director and other staff members of Middlebury Interactive and IES, our partner in Granada, greeted them.

After that, we took a bus that followed part of the route that “Don Quijote” chose a few centuries ago. Everybody was tired but happy! Along the way, we had a short stop to eat a light breakfast, to finally arrive to Granada.

The day has finally come: French and Chinese Academy students have landed at St. Michael's College for four weeks of language immersion.

Buzzing in the air today was a combination of excitement, nerves, and curiosity—yet, even with these nerves flowing through the minds of students from both Academies, they still managed to skip the awkward introductions and go right to friendship.

Here at St. Michael’s, this philosophy stands strong. The blending of personalities of teachers from all over the country allows for a committed, intellectual, and captivating staff—all of whom have an unwavering passion for foreign languages and cultures.

Today, the Director of the French Academy—David Sainsily—sat down for an interview, in which he answered questions on his educational and personal background, and, also, on his role outside of the Academy.

By language of the future, I do not intend to mean a universal language in which both humans and machines will use to interact in a world of increasing proliferation of artificial intelligence. Nor do I aim to suggest that Arabic would be the lingua franca of the 22nd century. To put forward a claim of this sort would require me to delve into the rather dreary details of demographic predictions and politico-economic arrangements of the world. I am more interested in some esoteric aspects of the Arabic language itself.

After Chef “JuanMa“‘s pincho cooking instruction, the students paired up and started working on their own creations. They had to combine textures, flavors and ingredients to make their own style of pincho. Each one of the groups presented to the class the reason behind their creation, as well as the meaning and the expected flavor they were creating.